johnlt Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Rode a Honda CRF450X today and all I can say is WOW. It seems twice as powerful as my DRZ and is 20 pounds lighter. Amazing bike. Seat is similar in height as my DRZ with a very compliant suspension also. Tiny tank but that can be fixed. Lights are barely legal and won’t do much good but daytime is fine. The 20 pounds lighter comes from no turn signals or instruments or even an ignition key so basically they are the same in an apples to apples…….but that power is amazing. If it only had FI instead of a carb, and either a 6th gear or a wider spaced tranny, it would be a great candidate to outfit as an adventure tourer-lite. Link to comment
Spartan Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 John, Since we are talking lite-adventure ride a KTM 450 EXCR for comparison. I had a CRF450 that I loved. The last couple of years I have been on the street legal KTM. The usable power band and the plush suspension on the KTM are incredible. The bike does not wear you out and will perform in any situation. Link to comment
FlyingFinn Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 How's the maintenance and reliability on the KTM? Obviously both are high-strung race steeds compared to the DRZ and require matching level of upkeep. But how about between the KTM and CRF? For a reference, on a weak moment I was looking at the BMW 450G but a new piston (at least piston inspection) every 60 hours put me off. -- Mikko Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 It's only 20lb lighter than the DRZ? I find that hard to believe, also seems much taller. I find mine very twitchy, it's not at all suited to just burbling along down a trail, wants to take off. Also very high maintenance. Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wait a minute, I rode your DRZ, my CRF450X is at least 6" taller than that bike. Link to comment
Spartan Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 How's the maintenance and reliability on the KTM? Obviously both are high-strung race steeds compared to the DRZ and require matching level of upkeep. But how about between the KTM and CRF? -- Mikko I don't have data but believe the weakest area of both machines is the Honda valves. The KTM valves go a long time and apparently don't move. I went to the KTM dealer in Santa Cruz to buy a shim and was told I must have measured wrong since they never move. I argued with the owner and mechanic until they sold me a shim. If you do want to check the valves on the KTM its only about a 30 minute job, another 15 minutes to change shims. The newer motors usually go thousands of miles before needing work. Link to comment
johnlt Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Bob, on the weight, I went off of the spec weight. I have never actually weighed them. On the height, I have a Corbin seat that is two inches lower than the OEM. You may have the race version because this one didn't seem twitchie at all. Great power band and smooth pull up through the RPM range. The one I rode was an 05 but only had 50 miles on the clock so was just like new. I really liked the feel but may not be able to handle the power. Link to comment
johnlt Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 From the spec sheets: CRF450X seat height 37.9" DRZ400 seat height 37.2". Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I seem to remember that was my initial impression too, think I was just being overwhelmed by the power. I wouldn't buy this bike again for what I do and certainly not as a dual sport. It is very powerful and handles amazingly, but it's not a trail bike. It's also very uncomfortable to ride for any length of time. Link to comment
xharley97 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 My last ktm an 05 450 sx did not use shims but had a locknut and bolt to adjust the valve clearances. You could bottom out the valve and back it off the correct spacing (I think.008) by watching how much of a turn you made on the bolt head.taking into account the tread pitch. worked perfect everytime. I also had a n 05 250 sx for indoor SX, before those 05s it was an 03 450sx and before that an 02 520mxc KTMs valve train made adjusting the valves a snap. So much easier than the shim and bucket deal. When did KTM change to shims? Any of the high strung 4 strokes needs the valves adjusted about every 8 hrs of riding until they get happy(broke in) then they pretty much stay in place. You could tell the valves needed adjustment by how it would start when it was warm. If adjusted properly it would almost start itself. I raced mine in MX(50+ class) and offroad(ISDE senior class) so I had the 450s fitted with a six speed trans from an exc. later electric start. Those bikes would top out at close to 100 mph I did not win much but I had a lot of fun. I had a high speed get off,ran over a guy in practice... knee surgery.. sold the bike. My best friend in high school ended up with that bike he is still riding it.6 years old and still rockin! IMHO the KTM is a much better bike/engine than the honda but the honda has always had better suspension. Link to comment
Richard_D Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Honda valves are a problem in lasting compared to KTM's. 07 and before KTM motors are bulletproof and don't have the shims. I check mine once a year and may be out .001 at the most each time. At this rate according to the manual, I won't need new valves for 10 years. KTM talk has videos to show how easy they are to check and adjust. They are als 50 pounds lighter than the DRZ at 250 lbs for either the 450 or 525. It's not a bike to care how well your feet touch the ground. It's basically a race bike with a tag. That means a great motor with the best suspension right out of the box.It's not as smoothe as the DRZ on pavement but when the dirt gets tough or you have sand, it's way easier to ride than the DRZ.I'd rather give up a little on the pavement to have every advantage on tough terrain for safety reasons. Link to comment
johnlt Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 The original intent of my post was to comment on the amazing power of the CRF. I don't know how KTMs got into the post. I rode a KTM 530 (I think that was the number) and although it handled the dirt great, I hated it. At 70 years, I'm not interested in a racing bike. Anything that requires maintenance after just a few hours of riding is for someone other than me. I did the CD ride on my DRZ and could have used more power on the road, but not necessarily on the dirt but I put 10K miles on it this last two years and haven't even looked at the valves. Now carburators, that's another story. A little more power, Fuel Injection and a sixth gear would result in a perfect DS for my purposes. Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Service intervals on the CRF are officially 600 miles, but that's probably really for racing use. Nevertheless it holds a tiny amount of oil which it burns, so you would need to change it frequently to avoid any sludge. (Tiny piston with slipper rings). Link to comment
Richard_D Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Quote "I don't know how KTMs got into the post." Simple. You were comparing the DRZ to the CRF. You sounded excited so we just were comparing the CRF to the KTM. Link to comment
Tapatio Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 ***DISCLAIMER*** I OWN A CRF450X ***DISCLAIMER*** I would use one word to summarize the CRF450X, "bulletproof". There's a reason why most teams choose to ride them in the BAJA 1000. Honda's factory team made the switch from XR650 to CRF450X in 2006, 1 year after the bike was released. The CRF450X has been on the podium ever since. The combination of power, handling, weight and reliability are unmatched. 43rd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 OFFICIAL ENTRIES (By Class Starting Order-as of 11/08/10) PRO MOTORCYCLES CLASS 22 (Open, 250cc or more)-- 2x Gabriel Williams, Provo, Utah, Honda CRF450X 3x A.J. Stewart, Jamul, Calif./Bryce Stavron, Palmdale, Calif./Kevin Johnson, Boulder City, Nev./Jesse Sharpe, Escondido, Calif./Craig Smith, Brawley, Calif., Honda CRF450X 4x Junpei Saito/Kyonari Ohtsukas/Shigeru Kurai, Japan, Honda CRF450X 5x Steve Corrie, Brush Prairie, Wash./Dan Boespflug, Battleground, Wash./Joey Lancaster, Troutdale, Ore./Craig Bowman, Kelso, Wash., Honda CRF450X 1x Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif./Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X 7x David Pearson, Panaca, Nev./Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif./Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico/Shane Esposito, Lake Elsinore, Calif./Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif., KTM 530XCW 8x Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola, San Clemente, Calif./Justin Imhoff, Alta Loma, Calif., Honda CRF450X 9x Francisco Arredondo, Guatemala/James West, Great Britain/Mark Ackerman, South Africa/Sunny Irvine, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda CRF450X 10x Dennis Hannel, Shingle Springs, Calif./Jim Owens/Nick Owens, Scotts Valley, Calif., Brian Lerette, Arnold, Calif., Honda CRF450X 11x Mark Bradford/Stephen Bradford, City of Industry, Calif./Manny Ornellas, Redding, Calif./Kelly Malobovich, Phelan, Calif./Mark Fillerbrown, Allentown, Pa., Honda CRF450X 12x Aaron Lindsey, Macon, Ga., Yamaha YZ450F Link to comment
Richard_D Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Any brand can make 1000 miles barring some bad luck. I'm wondering what the top and bottom end re-build intervals are on all the brands. I love all bikes including the Honda 450 but with the people I've known and ridden with over the years, KTM seems to hold up better. That doesn't mean they don't have issues like any other bike. Sorry for the slight hijack. Link to comment
ddlewis Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I seem to remember that was my initial impression too, think I was just being overwhelmed by the power. I wouldn't buy this bike again for what I do and certainly not as a dual sport. It is very powerful and handles amazingly, but it's not a trail bike. It's also very uncomfortable to ride for any length of time. there are definitely right/wrong tools for the job. I have a friend who had a crf250r with baja kit and street tags. What a beast that thing was. so much power and so little weight. felt like it was ready to jump out of it's own skin. too much though.. Fun but overkill on trails, too twitchy for the street and very uncomfortable to ride for any length of time. That is a seat meant to be stood over not sat on.. None of the light weight high powered high maint. enduro bikes make me want to get off my old xr. It's like my old dog.. just lays there not asking much but always ready to roll. Link to comment
xharley97 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Yeah sorry for the Hijack I thought there was some interest within the discussion about KTM. Link to comment
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